ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members.

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ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc aims to keep members informed of various research projects, diets, medications, therapies, news items, etc. All communication, both verbal and written, is merely to disseminate information and not to make recommendations or directives.

Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on this Web site are not necessarily the official views of the Society or its Committee and are not simply an endorsement of products or services.

Nearly 30 years after chronic fatigue syndrome was given its unfortunate name, it’s still not understood or even completely accepted by the medical world: No definitive cause has been identified, nor any consensus treatment. And while it affects an estimated 1 million Americans and 17 million globally, those with the condition are often dismissed as suffering from psychosomatic disorders.

If nothing else, “Unrest,” by Jennifer Brea, demonstrates just how debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, can be. Ms. Brea, herself a victim, was a well-traveled Ph.D. student at Harvard who fell ill after a high fever in 2011. Along with exhaustion, she experienced loss of muscle control, the inability to speak coherently, pain, and extreme sensitivity to light and noise. Specialists at first concluded that she was dehydrated or stressed; one even suggested a delayed reaction to some childhood trauma that she might not recall.